Power Surge
by Demon of Shadows
Summary: The story of a new mutant who comes to the institute (Finished, Sequel might follow!)
1. Sparks

(Disclaimer: I own Paul/Surge, but X-Men Evolution is the property of somebody else.)  
  
"You remind me of what I really am." Kitty sang along to the CD softly, the  
  
volume on her wireless headphones jacked up to ear-splitting. As the song continued, the  
  
music suddenly skipped a beat, then stopped, Kitty groaned and reached down by her side  
  
to the MP3 player hooked to her belt, whose signal was synched with her headphones.  
  
She twiddled the tiny stud on the side of the MP3 player in hopes of getting it working  
  
again, but couldn't. [Goes to show, never buy an MP3 player from a pawnshop.] Kitty  
  
thought dejectedly. Suddenly Kitty heard a gunshot, or what sounded like it. She giggled  
  
softly to herself and turned around. Lance, or more specifically his oversized jeep, had  
  
crapped out, again, in the middle of the street. Ever since Tabitha had blown out the  
  
engine while using the jeep for target practice, and ever since Lance had done the really  
  
crappy repair job the engine was always conking out. "Damnit!" Lance swore as he  
  
thumped his hands on the steering wheel. Usually all it took was a tweak of Lance's  
  
power to get the engine started, but not this time. "Yo, you want me to play 'Taps' for the  
  
dang jeep, or, are you gonna like, you know, FIX it yo." Toad lamented from the  
  
backseat. "Chill, alright? It just needs a little work." Lance snapped. Toad knew better  
  
than to REALLY piss Lance off, he followed the anarchist cardinal rule: Look out for #1.  
  
He bounded out of the jeep and into the bushes, all in order to escape Lance's wrath.  
  
Lance groped blindly beneath the driver's seat and removed a wrench. He was prepared  
  
to step out and try to make a temporary engine fix, when the engine started up again.  
  
"What the-" Lance started to say before Kitty phased through the dashboard and seated  
  
herself in the passenger seat. "It was just a loose ignition wire." Kitty explained. "I take it  
  
you need a ride? After all, a girl like you shouldn't be walking down the street this late at  
  
night." Lance said. "Yeah, school. Football game." Kitty said, ignoring his comment.  
  
"You got it." Lance said, stomping on the accelerator and the newly repaired jeep raced  
  
down the street, all the while bouncing like a bronco.  
  
* * *  
  
"BAYVILLE! BAYVILLE!" was the current chant of the roaring crowd as the  
  
kickoff began. A handful of the X-men were also in attendance, seeing as how they  
  
attended the school, they were practically required by an unwritten law to go to the home  
  
games. "Voohoo! Touchdown!" yelled Kurt as Bayville scored. He was high up in the  
  
stands, right by Evan and Scott in their somewhat isolated usual spot. He awkwardly  
  
performed a one-man wave before freezing, seeing the looks the people were giving him.  
  
"What, just trying to act pro-football." Kurt said sheepishly. "Why bother, nobody cares  
  
really." Scott said, keeping one eye on the game and the other on Jean down on the  
  
sidelines, all the while rolling a coin atop his fingers with practiced ease. "Yeah, it seems  
  
so.tame compared to what happens in the Danger Room." Evan said as two Bayville  
  
players clotheslined an opponent. Losing interest in the game, he too tried to roll a coin  
  
atop his fingers, but screwed up and dropped it. "Aww man.there goes my last quarter."  
  
Evan said. "Hey, do you hear zat?" Kurt said. "I can't hear a thing over the damn crowd."  
  
Evan said. "It sounded like.a cry for help." Kurt said, pressing his ear to the  
  
bleachers. At a momentary lull in the crowd's roar, all three of them heard the same  
  
shout. "Help me! Help me please!" coming from right below them. "Vell?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Lets go." Scott said. All three of them slipped between the guardrails on the rear of the  
  
bleachers, dangled a moment before dropping onto an X-shaped girder that connected  
  
two main support beams. Below, in the dim light coming from the field, they could make  
  
out four thugs clad in ripped black denim beating the crap out of a fifth guy. When they  
  
stopped momentarily, their victim lifted his head to look up at them. It was Duncan, the  
  
jackass Captain of the Bayville football team. "Oh my god." Scott said softly,  
  
remembering the incident when Duncan had been in the same situation, but on the other  
  
end.  
  
~Flashback~  
  
"Damnit, he's getting away!" Duncan's cronies shouted, giving chase after Toad. Duncan  
  
slowly picked himself up from the mud, wiping his face clean. "BIG mistake Summers."  
  
Duncan threatened and hurled himself at Scott, who was thrown hard against a support  
  
beam. Slowly, as if time itself had slowed to a crawl, Scott's sunglasses fell away and a  
  
pair of twin red beams lanced from his revealed eyes, hitting Duncan with a glancing  
  
blow and destroying the propane tank. Later, as Jean came to replace Scott's glasses, he  
  
wept silently. "Jean, I'm so sorry.."  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
"You ready to give us what we want?" One of the thugs asked, lifting Duncan by his  
  
hair. Scott, Evan, and Kurt could now see the multiple cuts and bruises on his face,  
  
revealing how long they had been beating him for. "Please.just two more days. I can get  
  
the money by then. "No, it's now or else." The same thug threatened. "I-I'm sorry."  
  
Duncan wept. "Bring him, maybe talking to the Boss will change his tune." The thug  
  
ordered. The other three lifted him up and began dragging him towards the chain-link  
  
fence. "Problem gentleman?" The two words rang with an air of challenge as a large and  
  
muscular teenage boy strolled calmly towards the thugs, seeming to materialize from the  
  
shadows beneath the bleachers. He wore all black, save for two items. One was the silver  
  
chain he wore around his neck. The other was the pair of sunglasses he wore. They  
  
seemed identical to Scott's, but the lenses were an electric blue. The lenses seemed to  
  
shimmer in the light with each step the newcomer took. "None of your business so just  
  
turn around and leave." The thug threatened. "Four on one seems a little one-sided, don't  
  
you think? How about we even the odds?" He replied, ignoring the threat. The fact that  
  
he hadn't given in to the threat only annoyed the thugs, but the fact he had no fear or  
  
respect for them royally pissed them off. With surprising speed, they produced  
  
switchblades and chains from their pockets and attacked the guy. "I'm going to cut you!"  
  
One yelled as he came up behind him. With a blur of motion, punctuated by a single kick  
  
to the chest, the aforementioned thug was put of commission. The others were smarter,  
  
attacking from three sides at once. However, they could only watch in delayed awe as the  
  
guy grabbed first one, then another, and crashed them together. The final thug took this  
  
opening to attack head on, intending to slit the guys throat. He ran at him, making wide,  
  
lethal slashes in the air as he ran. The guy turned and ducked, grabbing the hand that held  
  
the knife. Then, a sizzle was heard as a blue flash escaped the guy's fingers. "Vhoa!"  
  
Kurt exclaimed as the flash briefly lit up the area. "Leave now." The guy said to Duncan,  
  
who practically tripped over himself racing away. "You can come down now." He said.  
  
Not very surprised, Evan, Scott, and Kurt slid down the supports to the ground and  
  
introduced themselves, saying they were simply specialists with 'mutual talents'. "That  
  
was amazing dude!" Evan said. "So, what exactly is your power? Energy shots from your  
  
hands, enhanced strength, what?" Scott asked. "Its something I've dubbed 'The Taser  
  
Touch.' Watch." The guy picked up a discarded light bulb from a broken penlight and  
  
held it between two fingers. He tensed those fingers and suddenly the light lit up to a  
  
blinding white, making the lenses of both his and Scott's sunglasses flash their respective  
  
colors. The light continued for a couple more seconds before he dropped it, it  
  
immediately went out. "Damn that's hot." He said, blowing on his slightly burned  
  
fingers. "Well. I'm Scott, this is Evan and Kurt. We're part of the X-" Scott was cut off  
  
by a elbow to the chest, courtesy of Evan. "Don't go there man, not yet." Evan  
  
whispered. "The Xavier Institute, it's a school where we help mutants control their  
  
powers. You're welcome to come and stay if you want." Scott finished, shooting a glare  
  
at Evan. "Eh. I'll have to check it out then." The guy said. He started to walk away.  
  
"Vait, what do we call you?" Kurt called after him. The guy seemed to pause for a  
  
moment, as if wrestling with an internal decision. "Surge." He said.  
  
Came the calm, confident reply as he walked away.  
  
[To Be Continued] 


	2. Connection Made

[Disclaimer: I don't own X-men Evolution. I do own Paul/Surge]  
  
It was a full three days before the either Scott, Kurt, or Evan saw Surge again, but  
  
on that lazy Saturday afternoon, when most of the Institute's students were out enjoying  
  
themselves, a single teenager showed up at the gates, Surge. Surge had exchanged his all-  
  
black attire from the football game in favor of khaki shorts, a red sleeveless shirt, and  
  
sneakers. He wore no chain this time, but still wore the sunglasses. The electric blue  
  
lenses flashed in the sunlight from beneath his jet-black bangs. Surge stood at the gate for  
  
a full three minutes after ringing the bell, leaning against a glossy black motorcycle with  
  
his large military surplus-issue duffel bag at his feet. He glanced up at the camera above  
  
the gate, which finally rotated to look at him. "Someone will be with you in a second."  
  
Came a pleasant woman's voice from the small speaker that sat beneath the camera, and  
  
in a flash of light and puff of smoke, Kurt was sitting casually atop the wall, startling  
  
Surge to the point he nearly fell backwards over his bike with a cry of, "Holy Crap!"  
  
"Oh, sorry about zat. My bad." Kurt said apologetically as he hopped off the wall, at the  
  
same time the gates swung open. "Vow. Nice bike, what kind is it?" Kurt asked as he ran  
  
his hands lightly over the bikes surface in a mix of awe and appreciation. "Custom-built  
  
Yamaha YZF R-1. I call it Saber." Surge replied with a tinge of pride in his voice. Kurt  
  
was busy looking at the helmet, jet-black like the motorcycle, but it had an electric blue  
  
flame design on it. "Very nice." Was all Kurt could say. "So. are we gonna stand out  
  
here all day or are we gonna go inside?" "Of course, let me take your bag. Just drive up  
  
to ze front steps." Kurt said, before grabbing Surge's bag and disappearing in a puff of  
  
smoke. Surge looked around, shrugged, then he donned his helmet and mounted his bike,  
  
riding up to the front steps. Xavier and Ororo were waiting for him there. He dismounted,  
  
removing his helmet and carrying it under his arm. "Greetings, you must be Paul." Xavier  
  
said, holding out his hand. This caused Surge, or Paul, which was his real name, to falter  
  
as he walked over, but he seemed to recover gracefully. "How did you know my real  
  
name?" Paul asked. "A simple tap into your mind. My name is Professor Charles Xavier,  
  
this is my fellow professor, Miss Ororo." Xavier introduced, and Paul shook hands with  
  
both of them. At that point, Kurt zapped back downstairs, appearing behind Ororo and  
  
Xavier. "His things are in his room, Professor." Kurt said. "Thank you Kurt. How about  
  
you show Paul around the Institute this afternoon?" Xavier asked. "Of course." Kurt said,  
  
with a mix of cheer and gloom in his voice. "Follow me." Kurt teleported in short hops  
  
along the edge of the Institute until they reached the garage. "Wow, for a school you guys  
  
have some VERY nice wheels." Paul said, admiring the variety of vehicles in the garage.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." Kurt said. "What's wrong dude, ever since the Professor asked you to  
  
show me around, you seem kind of down." Paul asked. "Vell. its just that I got this new  
  
game I wanted to try out, but its ok, I can play it later." Kurt said. "Why later? How about  
  
right now?" Paul said with a smile. "Ok, grab my shoulder. I can get us there faster if we  
  
teleport." Kurt said. As Paul hesitantly laid his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "So how does it  
  
work? Do you click your heels together or something like th-" At that point, they  
  
disappeared and reappeared in the Institute's TV/Video Game room. "Have you ever  
  
played, Soulcaliber 2?" Kurt asked. "I played, and ruled, at the first one." Paul replied,  
  
flopping onto the couch. "Ah, a challenge." Kurt said, handing him a controller. Paul  
  
chose to play as Nightmare, while Kurt chose Link. Three hours and nearly a hundred  
  
battles later, they both sat back with a sigh. The record stood as such: Paul won 50, Kurt  
  
won 50. They looked hard at each other, before saying simultaneously,  
  
"TIEBREAKER!" at that point, a few other Institute students, namely Scott and Evan,  
  
walked in. The battle raged on, first Paul winning a round then Kurt winning one. It was  
  
the final battle, and both warriors were down to only a sliver of health apiece when  
  
Bobby ran in out of breath. "Red alert. she. got it?" He gasped out. "Huh? Who got  
  
what? Spit it out dude!" Evan said. "Its Kitty, she got the DDR pads!" Bobby said.  
  
Instantly they all froze, remembering the horrors of Kitty's last 'game night'. They had  
  
all been challenged to, and lost at, a karaoke contest. "What's the big deal? So its DDR,  
  
it's a fun game." Paul said. "No man, you don't get it. Kitty is UNBEATABLE at DDR,  
  
and this is her opportunity to get us back for all the times we kicked her butt at those  
  
first-person shooters." Evan cried. "She's coming down the hall now, we gotta hide!"  
  
Bobby yelled. Instantly, Scott, Paul, Evan, and Bobby grabbed Kurt and all five of them  
  
teleported away moments before Kitty walked into the room. "Huh, I could have sworn I  
  
heard the guys talking in here." She said, confused.  
  
* * *  
  
The five of them ended up hiding in Paul's room, due to the fact nobody else  
  
knew he was there yet. "So, Paul. What's your power man?" Bobby said as they lounged  
  
around on the floor. "Electricity." Kurt replied. "Eh, its not truly electricity, its more like  
  
plasma." Paul replied. "So, whose in for poker?" Paul asked as he removed a deck of  
  
cards from his bag. They all instantly agreed, and sat around in a circle. A surge of  
  
plasma emitted from Paul's hand, enveloping the cards and with tiny tweaks of his  
  
fingers, the plasma-charged cards started to shuffle themselves before dealing five cards  
  
to each player, at which point they became normal again. "Cool trick." Evan said. "That's  
  
nothing. Once I went into a hardware store and lit up all the light bulbs." Paul said with a  
  
smirk, causing everyone to laugh and pick up their cards.  
  
* * *  
  
After several games, Paul glanced at the clock. "So, how long until we can be free  
  
again?" He asked. "Well, Kitty won't stop until somebody beats her, which is near  
  
impossible because she's like, amazing at dancing." Evan replied. "You never know, she  
  
might have tripped and lost." Paul said with a shrug. "Yeah, Paul's right, lets check it  
  
out." Scott said. Kurt teleported them to the hallway outside the TV room, and they all  
  
peered into the room. Several people were in there, watching the current match of Jean  
  
against Amara, yet Kitty was nowhere to be seen. The reason for that was apparent when  
  
she phased through the wall behind them and yelled, "GOTCHA!" They all jumped at  
  
least six inches in the air when she yelled and then fell down. "Ok Scott, you guys have  
  
tried hiding long enough. Its time to do battle." Kitty said. "Fine. Team battle, five on  
  
five, girls against guys." Scott said. "Agreed." Kitty replied with a smirk. The guys team,  
  
unsurprisingly, consisted of Scott, Kurt, Evan, Bobby, and Paul. The girl's team was  
  
Amara, Kitty, Jean, Tabitha, and somehow Rogue. Scott, predictably, lost to Jean by a  
  
wide margin, as Bobby lost to Amara. Then Evan and Kurt pulled out a narrow victory  
  
over Tabitha and Rogue, despite the fact Tabitha tried to throw Kurt off balance with  
  
several energy balls, but Paul used his plasma energy to throw them out the window.  
  
Now, with the score standing at 2 to 2, Paul was up. His opponent, Kitty. "Oh great,  
  
we're dead." Several guys moaned. "I just have two requests." Paul said. "Name them."  
  
Kitty replied with a slight smirk, thinking he'd attempt to get a handicap. "No cheating to  
  
try and win, and no crying when you lose." Paul said, grinning slightly. Instantly several  
  
of the guys yelled, "BURN!" inciting a shouting match between the two teams, which  
  
was laid silent when the music started. Kitty's feet moved around effortlessly, touching  
  
each arrow at the perfect time. She glanced over at Paul, believing him to be clumsily  
  
stumbling along. That was not the case, however, for Paul was going through each step  
  
fluidly and without flaw. Slightly unnerved, Kitty performed a complicated foot-switch  
  
as she continued, then glanced over to see Paul match it perfectly. Not to be out done,  
  
Paul did a single break-dance helicopter move, but when he came up, he spun and slid  
  
slightly to the right in order to hit the arrow. Kitty attempted to copy it, but when she  
  
came out of the move she was off balance and stumbled, falling off the pad. The song  
  
finished moments later, but the guys' cheering drowned it out. Paul hopped off his pad  
  
and walked over to the fallen Kitty. She looked up at him as he squatted next to her and  
  
held out his hand to pull her up. "Great game." He said. "You too." She replied, smiling.  
  
Then a chime sounded, "Dinner!" Kurt yelled, and instantly every guy made a teleport  
  
chain by grabbing onto Kurt and they all teleported into the dining room. "Mm. pasta."  
  
Kurt declared as they dug in. After dinner, the guys literally 'took over' the game room as  
  
they hung out, playing video games and pool until Logan came in at past midnight, and  
  
with a single word they all went to bed, except for Paul. "So, you're the new guy?"  
  
Logan asked. "Yeah, that's me." Came Paul's slightly hesitant reply. "I saw your bike in  
  
the garage. The Yamaha YZF R-1, pretty fast. How'd you come by it?" Logan said,  
  
leaning against the pool table. Paul reached out with his plasma energy, racking the balls  
  
into place and setting up the cue ball. He bent over, lining up his shot. "I used to work at  
  
a salvage yard. One day, while on my break, I found a beat-up Yamaha in one of the piles  
  
waiting to be processed. So I pulled it out and stowed it at the place I was staying, then I  
  
gradually built it up until it was better than new." Paul said, firing his shot. "Not a bad  
  
rebuild job. I couldn't even tell it was a rebuild until I saw some of the nicks on the  
  
engine block." Logan said, taking his own shot. "Yeah, that was when the salvage yard  
  
owner tried to lay claim to it. I wouldn't let him have it, so he tried to ride away on it. He  
  
had no clue how to handle a bike like that, he almost immediately over- accelerated and  
  
fell over." Paul replied, frowning. "Tough break kid." Logan said. The rest of their  
  
conversation revolved mostly around motorcycles as the game went on, until Paul lost the  
  
game by hitting the 8-ball into a different pocket than when he called it before going to  
  
bed.  
  
[To be continued] 


	3. Umminsert clever chapter title here

[Disclaimer: I still don't own X-men Evolution.]  
  
A few days later, the Institute had settled down with the celebration of Paul's  
  
victory over Kitty, and things got back to be a semblance of normal, or as normal as  
  
things could be at the Institute, with everyone attempting to defeat Paul at pool. As the  
  
record stands, only Logan's been able to beat him fair and square. (Jean came close, but  
  
under suspicious circumstances) At this point of the day, everybody was gradually  
  
returning from school, by means of the bus, walking, carpooling, or personal  
  
transportation. The vehicles in the lead, predictably, were Scott's convertible and Paul's  
  
motorcycle, which now were side by side at the stoplight right by the Institute. "Hey  
  
Scott, those extra two wheels slowing you down?" Paul yelled over the noise of traffic.  
  
"Nope, I'm just being nice to you, wouldn't want to leave you behind!" Scott yelled back.  
  
Both of them grinned as they returned their gaze to the road, and the gate leading into the  
  
Institute. Scott reached over and thumbed the button that remotely opened the gate as the  
  
other lights turned yellow, then red. Scott's knuckles cracked as he gripped the steering  
  
wheel tightly, causing Amara, Evan, and Jean, who were riding with him, to grip their  
  
seats. Likewise, Paul was revving his motorcycle's engine lightly, causing Kitty to  
  
tighten her death-grip that she already had around his waist. The light before them  
  
flashed green, and both vehicles were off. At first, Paul was way ahead as they pulled  
  
into the Institute Grounds, but Scott was able to successfully pull ahead just before they  
  
entered the garage. "I win." Scott said simply as they headed inside. Upstairs, Paul passed  
  
Evan, who was on his way to his own room. "Hey Paul, a bunch of us are going to go  
  
into town in a little while, you wanna come?" Evan asked. "Sure, just let me drop off my  
  
stuff." Paul said. He headed into his room, dropped his backpack on his bed, and was  
  
about to leave when he noticed a black cell-phone sitting on his dresser. Confused, he  
  
walked over to it and flipped it open. "Huh, a number's already inputted." Paul said aloud  
  
as he hit the 'Send' button. It rang twice before somebody picked up. "Hello?" Paul  
  
asked. "Hello indeed, Surge." Came a low, sinister, and all too familiar voice from the  
  
other end of the connection. Paul's eyes narrowed dangerously, his free hand clenching to  
  
become a fist. "What do you want." Paul asked bluntly. "For you to come back." The  
  
man replied. "My answer stands, no." Paul said, and was about to end the call when he  
  
heard a low chuckle. "How cute, thinking you have a choice." The man said. "We took  
  
the liberty of kidnapping your sister as an added incentive. You don't do what we ask,  
  
you can say goodbye." The man said. "Alright, Riker, you win. What do you want me to  
  
do?" Paul said with a resigned tone in his voice. "Excellent. All you have to do is copy  
  
Cerebro's files and come to the docks at midnight, tonight." Riker said. "Very well." Paul  
  
said, before hanging up.  
  
* * *  
  
Later that night, Paul went downstairs to steal the Cerebro files, he was able to  
  
make his way down the elevator and through the halls and doors without much difficulty,  
  
but his plan fell apart when he saw Logan and Xavier in Cerebro's chamber, waiting for  
  
him. "Hello Paul." Xavier said. "Uh, hi Professor, Logan." Paul said hesitantly. "I know  
  
why you came down here Paul." Xavier said. "You.do?" He replied. "Yes. I was able to  
  
read your thoughts and that's how I found out about the Shadow organization." Xavier  
  
replied. "Shadow? What the hell is Shadow?" Logan asked. "Shadow. probably the  
  
biggest mistake I ever made." Surge said. He leaned heavily against the wall, sighing  
  
deeply. "It happened only a few years ago, back when my powers were only just starting  
  
to emerge.."  
  
~Start Flashback~ {}=Narration  
  
{My powers first emerged when I got in a fight with a few thugs, I suddenly zapped  
  
every one of them.}  
  
Image- A Younger Paul fighting a trio of street thugs. He is getting badly beaten when  
  
his plasma energy flares and zaps all three.  
  
{After that they kept coming out in the oddest of situations, until I was afraid to go to  
  
school because I was afraid I might seriously hurt somebody. That's when I met Riker.}  
  
A younger Paul is sitting on the edge of a park bench. A muscular man clad in all-black  
  
clothing (think Nick Fury, but minus the eye patch and with blond hair) walks over.  
  
"Hello Paul." He said. Paul looked up at him, "You know my name?" He asked. "I sure  
  
do, my name is Sam Riker. I also know that you have a gift, a gift you can't control. The  
  
thing is, I want to help you control your gift, if you will come with me." Riker said,  
  
holding out his hand. The image fades as Paul hesitantly takes it.  
  
{I soon learned that great things like Riker's aid come with price tags. I had to pull  
  
various jobs in order for him to continue to help me, but it was when he ordered me to kill a man that I ran for it, that was a few months ago.}  
  
~End Flashback~  
  
"How he found me now, and more importantly, how he got in here to deliver the  
  
cell phone to me is a mystery." Paul said. "Well, we can't let you go to the meet with  
  
Riker tonight." Logan said. "But I have to, he has my sister and he's holding her hostage.  
  
If I don't come, he'll kill her for certain." Paul protested. Logan seemed thoughtful for a  
  
moment, before nodding slightly. "Ok," He said, "but we're going to do it my way."  
  
* * *  
  
(11:59 p.m.)  
  
Paul wandered around on the fog-enshrouded docks, looking for any sign of  
  
Shadow soldiers or Riker. His watch beeped, signaling that it was midnight. At almost  
  
the same time, a foghorn blew, long and low. Paul sprinted over to the tanker ship that it  
  
was coming from, going onto the helipad that was surrounded by dozens of cargo  
  
containers. "Riker! Where are you? Come out!" Paul yelled. Suddenly, floodlights  
  
mounted on the catwalks overlooking the deck snapped on, bathing Paul in its harsh  
  
white light. "Hello Paul, so kind of you to join us." Riker said, appearing on the catwalk  
  
that was outside of the bridge. "Where's my sister you bastard!" Paul yelled. "She's here.  
  
Now just give yourself up." Riker suggested, snapping his fingers. Instantly, the sound of  
  
running footsteps was heard as Paul saw black shapes darting through the fog atop the  
  
cargo containers and along the catwalks. More spotlights snapped on, revealing the  
  
shapes to be Shadow soldiers. They trained their weapons on him, lining up their laser  
  
sights and making Paul's body like a pincushion for the tiny pricks of red light. "Your  
  
men are impressive Riker, but I want to see my sister." Paul said, raising his hands to  
  
shoulder level. "Fine. Bring out the girl." Riker ordered. A searchlight mounted atop the  
  
bridge snapped on and the beam swiveled, focusing on a pair of commandos that stood at  
  
the other end of the helipad. Between them was an unconscious 15-year-old girl with  
  
long blonde hair and wearing a black tank top, fatigue pants, and combat boots.  
  
"Michelle!" Paul shouted, but his sister didn't stir. "She's been sedated, she kept trying to  
  
flash-fry my soldiers, so we had to tranq her." Riker said with a smirk. "Damn you!" Paul  
  
took a step towards his sister, but a gunshot rang out, the bullet striking the helipad inches  
  
from Paul's foot. "Not another step in her direction, or my friends here will cut you down  
  
without a second thought." Riker ordered. "Sorry Riker, but I too brought some friends  
  
tonight." Paul said, then he stuck two fingers in his mouth and let out a shrill whistle.  
  
Almost immediately, several black helicopters swooped in on the ship, their rotors eerily  
  
silent. They flared above the cargo containers, disgorging S.H.I.E.L.D. commandos from  
  
their holds, in seconds Riker's men were outnumbered at least three to one. "Interesting,  
  
but I'll leave you kids to fight it out amongst yourselves. Kill them all." Riker ordered.  
  
Instantly both sides started shooting, but Paul ignored all gunfire as he raced towards his  
  
sister and her two captors. One saw him coming and started firing madly at him, but the  
  
other took out his gun and held it to Michelle's head. "Another step, and your sister is  
  
dead." He threatened. Paul stopped, watching the soldiers laugh wildly as they  
  
congratulated themselves on besting him, right up until Cyclops dropped both of them  
  
with a powerful plasma beam, heralding the arrival of the X-men as they dropped to the  
  
jet. "Paul, ze others can protect your sister, lets get that bastard." Kurt said, holding out  
  
his hand. Paul smiled and grabbed it as they disappeared.  
  
* * *  
  
On the rear deck, Riker's helicopter was starting up its rotors as he hastily  
  
strapped himself in. The helicopter started to rise, but it had barely risen a few feet before  
  
a large plasma blast enveloped the helicopter, crashing it forcefully against the deck.  
  
Riker crawled out of the wreckage, sprawling facedown, when suddenly Paul's boots  
  
appeared right next to his head. With a cry of anger, Paul kicked him in the face before  
  
grabbing him by the neck and lifting him. With Riker gagging and struggling, Paul  
  
walked to the edge of the deck and lifted him out over the water. "How does it feel to be  
  
at someone else's mercy, huh? How does it feel to have to beg for your life?" Paul asked  
  
crudely as he slowly loosened his grip. "Paul no!" Came his sisters cry as she ran towards  
  
him and grabbed onto his other arm. "Two wrongs don't make a right, they never do."  
  
Michelle whispered. "Yeah, I guess so." Paul said. He threw the sobbing Riker back onto  
  
the deck before enveloping his sister in a tight hug. "I'm sorry." He whispered.  
  
[End] 


End file.
